I’d always been a fan of Avid’s mechanical brakes from trying them on loaner bikes, so I was really excited to bolt up Avid’s first generation hydraulic brake system in October 2005. After thirteen months of riding in all conditions between the soggy west coast of British Columbia and the high alpine of Alberta, the Avid Juicy Five brake system has proven to be a reliable, durable, and high performance component. After this much time with a set of stoppers I would like to share everything I have learned-the good and the bad:

In 2004 RockShox announced a new damping system dubbed Motion Control, which was first featured on the Reba and Pike. For 2006 RockShox totally redesigned the BoXXer by incorporating all the cool new technologies such as Solo Air, Maxle DH system and Motion Control damping. 2007 is the year of the Mission Control!

In this installment of Fresh Meat we have a variety bag of goodies for you to look into. Speaking of bags, we've got the Hydrapak Borracho and the TSG Chicksands pack, both of which fit into the "everything and the kitchen sink" catagory. In the area of contact points we have Specialized Chunder tires to keep your bike on terra firma, while 5.10 High Impacts keep your feet planted on the pedals and if you're a lady that's killing it, you'll want to check out the Mace Women's Shackle glove to keep your hands on the bars. Axo also has the ruler short to keep your butt covered. We all know that winter is here so what better way to spend those quiet nights that you aren't night riding, then to cuddle up with your favorite bike and watch any one of the new DVDs that came out this fall.

Two years in the making, [L=http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike.php?bikeid=1178600&f=14]Trek’s Session 10[/L] is designed as a “multi-use” downhill long travel bicycle: downhill race-worthy geometry and handling with ‘big mountain’ suspension capabilities. Countless days in the Park, run after run; World Cup level racing, heavy free-ride use, the Session 10 is meant to do it all with aplomb. Not quite the anorexic disposable “race bike”, definitely not an overly heavy, “hucking” machine, the Session 10 is a welcome “happy medium” in a market of highly specific long travel bicycles.

Here are the highlights and tribulations of a summer and fall of heavy use aboard a Manitou 8” TPC Travis/Revox equipped Trek Session 10.